Summary
West Ham United have seen their £40m bid for Conor Gallagher rejected by Chelsea with the player left "in limbo" at Stamford Bridge, according to journalist Dan Bardell.
Is Gallagher joining West Ham?
With Declan Rice's move to Arsenal now complete and £105m pocketed, David Moyes now must turn his attention to how he is going to replace his former captain.
West Ham's midfield options without Rice look threadbare, especially in deeper roles, with Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes the only traditional first-team central midfield options.
With European football again next season, the Irons will need to bring in several players in the middle of the park, one of whom could be Chelsea's Gallagher.
The Hammers are admirers of the 23-year-old who featured 35 times for Chelsea in the Premier League last season, having now submitted a £40m bid for the England international.
The bid was swiftly rejected and at present it appears that Mauricio Pochettino considers Gallagher part of his plans for next season, although an increased West Ham bid might change his stance.
However, journalist Bardell doesn't see where Gallagher would naturally fit in Pochettino's new-look Chelsea team and formation, suggesting the player is in "limbo" at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Bardell said: "It's a weird one isn't it because Chelsea aren't blessed with an abundance of central midfielders at the moment. From looking at pre-season and speaking to Chelsea fans, it's clear that Poch is going to play this 4-2-3-1 [formation], which I would say leaves Gallagher a little bit in limbo because he's not really a number six, and I wouldn't say he's creative enough to be a number ten either.
"His best season was at Crystal Palace playing as a number eight and he had a really, really good season. I think it maybe gets forgotten a little bit how good he was at Crystal Palace."
He added: "So, Gallagher's a little bit in limbo. I feel a bit sorry for him because it feels like every window his future is a little bit up in the air. We talked about him a lot in January when Chelsea were signing all those players. He's ended up staying and, to be fair, he did play a lot of football in the second half of the season.
"But I just think if Gallagher's going to reach his potential and be allowed to do the things that he's good at he needs to go somewhere permanently."
The indefatigable midfielder was not shy of putting in the hard yards last season but ultimately struggled for consistency, frustrating fans with subpar performance levels under Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.
Pochettino may be able to revive Gallagher's Chelsea career but the arrival of Enzo Fernandez in January and the potential arrival of Moises Caicedo this summer means his game time might be limited under the Argentinian coach.
How good is Gallagher?
During his loan spell at Palace in the 2021/22 season, Gallagher frequently showcased his best attributes as a box-to-box midfielder capable of scoring and creating in the opposition penalty area.
Gallagher scored eight goals and made another four in 39 appearances for the Eagles, while also diligently performing his defensive duties on a weekly basis.
His work ethic and persistence has never been in question, but the same quality he showed at Selhurst Park didn't transfer over to Stamford Bridge.
Last year he managed a comparatively poor combined four goals and assists in 45 games for the Blues, often looking nervous and uncomfortable in possession, as well as picking up nine yellow cards and one red.
Gallagher may yet have a future at the top level if he can rediscover his Palace form, but Pochettino could be tempted to cash in on the midfielder while interest in him is so high.
